Chapter 10: Nothing Comes Close

"Good morning!" Ochaco chrips. "I'm Uraraka Ochaco. Katsuki-san has been taking good care of me this past year. I'm very honored to be dating your son."

She nervously waits for a reaction, which comes in the form of Katsuki shaking his head and loudly scoffing. She frowns at him.

"'I'm very honored to be dating your son'. That's what fucking Deku told you to say?" He asks in disdain. "'Honored', my ass. Is this the Showa era?"

Ochaco sighs dejectedly before taking a bite off her yakitori.

"I don't see anything wrong about saying I'm honored," she complains. "Are you sure you're not just shooting it down because it's from Deku?"

"That's part of it," Katsuki candidly admits.

It's no secret he's pissed that she'd gone to that fucking nerd for advice, even after she's correctly pointed out that Deku is the only other person she knows who's familiar with the Bakugo family.

"But also, my folks aren't all that traditional. Just be normal. There's no need for uptight shit like that."

"Even so, Katsuki," Ochaco argues as she chews. "I want your parents to have a good impression of me. If you don't like me going to Deku, then give me serious advice."

Katsuki runs a hand through his hair moodily. "Well, for one, don't talk when your mouth is full."

Ochaco swallows her food in one gulp and indignantly claims, "Of course I'm not going to do that in front of your parents!"

Her gaze leaves his as she shyly mumbles, "I'm just too comfortable around you now to mind my manners sometimes. But I'm not going to be like that in front of anyone else."

He smirks at that last bit, all his annoyance gone in a snap.

"Manners are one thing," he says coolly, "but I was going to say that talking while eating makes you look like a squirrel."

Ochaco aims a kick at his shin under the table but he swiftly dodges. "It's the cheeks, you know," he continues with a wicked grin. "Roundface."

They're on one of their post-work dates, having dinner and drinks at an izakaya near her office, and Ochaco has insisted on rehearsing how she's supposed to greet his parents for the first time on Saturday.

Honestly, he thinks this is pointless, but no matter how many times he repeats that his parents already love her and she doesn't need to do anything special, her anxiety just wouldn't go away.

"I'm not kidding around, Katsuki," Ochaco whines. "Help me out."

"You're overthinking this," he tells her impatiently. "Just be polite, bring a gift– the old hag likes cheesecake– wear something decent."

At these words, Ochaco pales and gasps audibly.

"What?" Katsuki asks, confused.

"Clothes," she whispers, her eyes blown wide in horror. "I haven't planned what to wear! I don't have anything to wear!"

"Your normal clothes are fine. What's the big deal?"

Ochaco shakes her head vigorously.

"All my clothes are from Shinamura!" She says a bit too loudly. "Your parents work in fashion. How can I meet them in a 1000-yen dress?!"

That's the biggest overreaction Katsuki has heard from Ochaco in a while. He's tempted to snort and tell her so, but they've fought about his attitude plenty enough times for him to know that it's better to keep his mouth shut in a situation like this.

"Wait, I know! I'll borrow clothes from Yaoyorozu-san!" She announces, suddenly shooting up her seat in excitement.

The sudden movement startles Katsuki and draws the attention of everyone else in the izakaya, but Ochaco is too absorbed in her own thoughts to notice.

"She's rich and always dresses pretty. I'm sure she has… oh, but the fit is going to be all wrong, won't it?" She wails. "I'm not as tall or slim as Yaoyorozu-san, and I'm only a B-cup!"

Katsuki yanks on Ochaco's arm to forcibly sit her back down. "Are you stupid?!" He chastises through grit teeth, his face burning. "Don't talk about your boobs in public. You're getting weird stares!"

He normally wouldn't care, as he's prone to making scenes himself, except most of the heads that have turned at Ochaco's declaration are attached to male bodies, and he definitely doesn't appreciate the increased attention they're suddenly giving his girlfriend.

"Woah, did Uravity just announce her bust size?"

"They look bigger in her costume. You thnk that's padding?"

"They do look like B's now, but I need a closer look to tell for sure."

Only then does Ochaco realize how loud she's made her statement. She turns red all the way down to her neck, and she tries to disappear from view by sinking as low in her chair as possible.

Katsuki glares murder at the surrounding tables and snarls like a wild animal. "What are you staring at, you little shits? Mind your own business!"

If these assholes ogled Ochaco's boobs even a second longer, he would gouge their eyes out with a fork. He lets a tiny explosion cackle on his palms as a final warning.

Everyone seems to get the message, and pretty quickly the izakaya is back to ringing with a cacophony of chatter that has nothing to do with Uravity, though the atmosphere remains charged with tension.

Satisfied, Katsuki turns back to face Ochaco, who's still small and shy in her chair. He clicks his tongue at her and scowls.

"Sorry," she mumbles meekly. "I'll be more careful."

"You should," he agrees dryly. "We already have enough shitty rumors being said about us."

After the news about Katsuki dating Kirishima blew up to massive proportions on the Internet, their hero agency had made the two of them issue an official statement to apologize for the misunderstanding.

Of course, Ochaco's name was inevitably dragged into it, since it was a crucial detail in explaining how the whole situation even came about. Her relationship with Katsuki was formally announced, and now everyone knows they're dating.

It wasn't the cool reveal Katsuki had hoped for. It also received a host of mixed reactions, the worst of them being conspiracy theories about how this whole "relationship" was a coverup initiated by Katsuki's hero agency, who didn't support him coming out of the closet.

But, honestly, Katsuki couldn't give two shits.

No matter the way it was announced, no matter the rumors that are spreading around, everyone knows now that he's dating Ochaco, and the effect has been pretty damn amazing.

The more rabid of his fangirls have left, and while his managers have raised it as cause for concern, Katsuki could jump for joy.

All those crazy bitches ever did anyway was cause him trouble with Ochaco, who always got jealous like an idiot whenever some overly obsessed fan sent him unsolicited sexy photos on Twitter.

He'd once tried to defend to Ochaco that all male heroes got them, but she'd immediately countered that Deku's fans sent him photos of their babies, not their boobs, and Katsuki quickly lost the argument.

Fucking Deku.

In any case, that's a thing of the past now. He's been getting less of it after it's been made official that he's off the market. Most of his remaining fangirls are decent people who have congratulated him after the announcement.

Even better, Katsuki has now been able to demonstrate that he values his relationship with Ochaco more than easy access to a gaggle of women who would readily sleep with him if he asked.

Ochaco's dad can suck on that!

And he might actually have, since he's agreed to accept a visit from Katsuki and Ochaco in a few weeks' time, after the busy period at their construction company has passed.

Victory is close; Katsuki can sure as fuck sense it now. A smirk tugs at the corners of his mouth at the thought.

Ochaco peers at him curiously, and he gestures at what little remained of her meal.

"Are you done?" He asks. "Let's get out of here."

Ochaco looks hurt. "Are you that mad about me making a scene? I already apologized."

"No, idiot," Katsuki tells her blandly. "There's about an hour left before the malls close. Weren't you whining about not having anything to wear on Saturday?"

Her jaw drops, and her eyes go round and wide in surprise. "You'll shop with me?" She sounds almost incredulous.

"If you want." Katsuki shrugs dismissively.

He fights to keep a smile at bay, but the struggle ultimately ends in vain when Ochaco's response is to squeal and beam brightly at him.

Ochaco doesn't look too convinced with the dress he's handed her to try on. She holds the dress up and frowns at the obviously low neckline .

"Are you sure about this one?" She asks. "Doesn't it look too… sexy?"

"Does it?" Katsuki feigns. "I think my parents would say it's stylish."

Ochaco gives him a lingering look of suspicion, but relents and disappears into a fitting booth with the dress.

Katsuki only lets himself grin after the curtain closes behind her.

No way that dress is suitable for a meeting with his parents, or anything other than a hot date, actually. But this is probably the only time in their lives that he'll ever get to see Ochaco in a dress like that. He's not telling her shit until she tries it on.

"Um, Katsuki," she calls from inside the fitting booth. "I really don't think this is appropriate for Saturday.

"Yeah? Why don't you come out and show me?" He suggests, keeping his voice neutral.

There's a beat of silence as Ochaco hesitates.

"Hurry up," he urges. "The mall is closing soon."

Ochaco's hand gingerly sweeps the curtain to the side, and the rest of her body soon come into view. Katsuki is vaguely aware of his mouth falling open.

The dress had looked sexy on the rack, but on an actual person, it's unbelievable. It reveals far too much, even more than what he'd expected. No wonder Ochaco hadn't wanted to come out.

She looks incredibly embarrassed, the pink in her cheeks a richer shade than usual. She folds her arms against her chest in an act of modesty, but it accomplishes the opposite effect and further accentuates what the deep plunge of the neckline fails to conceal.

Katsuki feels the inside of his mouth go dry. He'd been eager to see Ochaco wearing something mature and sexy for once, but this dress is fucking ridiculous.

Even a seasoned playboy would be flustered at this sight, and he's a 19-year-old who's just one experience shy of being a virgin. He stood no chance at all.

Peeling his eyes off of her and looking off to the side, he clears his throat and swallows what little saliva he had left.

"Uh, yeah, it looks stupid. Go get changed."

"Hm… what's that?"

He's confused by the question. "What? I said you should–"

He almost chokes in surprise when he turns back to look at her and sees her approaching instead. She extends an arm above his shoulder, and his body explodes in goosebumps when the skin of her wrist brushes against his ear.

"What… what the hell, Ochaco?" He breathes, eyes wide in disbelief, his ribcage about to shatter from the pounding of his heart.

Ochaco points to a raised rack behind his head. "I noticed that dress from the fitting booth. Looks nice, doesn't it?"

The rush that had taken over his body leaves Katsuki in an instant.

He looks up at the dress in question, pulls it off the rack a bit more roughly than necessary, and shoves it into her outstretched hand.

"Here," he says flatly.

"What's with you, suddenly getting mad?" Ochaco asks, annoyed. "I already tried on your recommendation and you said yourself it looks stupid."

Well, it's not about that at all, but Katsuki's not about to confess that he'd mistaken her to be making a pass at him and that he got all excited for nothing.

He's about to tell her to just try on her stupid dress, when his ears pick up whispers coming from a short distance away."

"Are you sure Uravity is in this store? I don't see her."

"I saw her coming in, she must be near the back, where the fitting booths are."

Shit, Uravity fanboys.

Ochaco doesn't seem to have heard the approaching men, and makes no move to hide. Katsuki's eyes, however, dart to her overly exposed cleavage, and he decides that there's no way in hell he's going to let a photo of that become the next trending image on the Internet.

He quickly grabs Ochaco by the shoulders, steers her toward the fitting booth and pushes her inside. He grabs the curtain and moves to shut it, only to realize in the next split second that his presence is a dead giveaway to her location.

Without any time to think of an alternative, he slips inside and closes the curtain behind himself. Ochaco looks horrified.

"Katsuki, what are you doing?" She whimpers in alarm.

"Shut up for a minute," he chastises in a low voice.

"But–"

He cuts her off by drawing her into an embrace and pressing her against him. She's paralyzed by shock long enough for the situation to explain itself.

"She's not here either," a voice says from outside.

"That's weird," another voice replies, sounding perplexed. "I saw her enter the store with my own eyes!"

Ochaco unburies her face from Katsuki's chest and looks up at him. 'Quiet,' he mouths silently, and she nods.

He turns his eyes toward the single piece of fabric separating them from the outside. He primes himself to attack in case someone pries the curtain open.

"We've circled the entire place, but no Uravity," the first voice points out. "Are you sure it wasn't just your imagination?"

"Well," the second voice wavers now. "It… it could have been someone with the same hair, I guess."

The first voice groans. "You got my hopes up, you know! I thought I was finally going to see my goddess in the flesh. I wanted an autograph for my shrine!"

"S-sorry, okay? I'm disappointed too!"

The voices trail off as the pair of fanboys leave the vicinity. Katsuki counts a few more seconds of silence before he starts breathing again.

Then the reality of the situation he's put himself in crashes onto him in full force.

He's in a cramped fitting booth with Ochaco pressed tightly enough against him that he can fully feel her. The realization heightens his senses, and suddenly, he's hyper aware of all the places where they're touching.

His heart starts pounding madly again.

He's suffocating in air that smells a mixture of her familiar fruity shampoo and the scent of her skin.

His limbs are shaking, his pulse is roaring in his ears. He can't take this. He has to get out of this situation before he explodes.

"Katsuki," Ochaco whispers. "Think they're gone now?"

He lets himself peer down at her in his arms, and it's the worst thing he could have done.

She's flushed, from the roots of her hair, to her neck, and all the way down to her chest, which her dress is doing nothing to hide.

It reminds Katsuki of how she'd looked that night they slept together: hot and embarrassed and full of desire all at the same time.

The sight of her like this is enough to make him lose his mind.

His hand moves up from her shoulder to cradle the back of her head, and he holds her firmly in place as he crashes a kiss down on her lips.

She goes rigid as a statue, but she doesn't pull away, and he continues to kiss her, over and over, desperate and pleading, until finally, her arms wrap themselves tightly around him and her mouth responds with a kiss of her own.

Katsuki peers cautiously through a gap in the curtain and makes sure the coast is clear before he slips out of the fitting booth. He leaves Ochaco inside so she can change into that second dress she'd picked out.

He feels feverish, his entire body tingling and screaming at him to get the hell back in there with Ochaco and finish what they'd started.

But he can't do that.

He had made her a promise and he'd rather swallow a thousand needles than break it now. What he'd done was already out of line. What if they'd been unable to stop?

When Ochaco kissed him back, he'd taken it as permission to keep going. He let his hands go all over her then, touching places that should have been out of bounds given their promise not to be intimate for the meantime.

She'd reciprocated his attention, too, and they made out until the pent-up frustration from their several weeks of abstinence was fully resolved.

Well, almost.

In the past, this would have been enough to tide Katsuki over for a while, but now that he's had sex, he knows that no amount of making out could compare.

He's sure Ochaco feels the same way. He'd seen it on her face after they finally pulled apart trying to catch their breath, and his gut had told him that if he asked to go home with her then, she would agree.

But he had also known that if he took advantage of that moment to change her mind about something she obviously feels strongly about, he would never be able to live with himself.

So he'd forcefully ripped his eyes off the erotic expression she was making, released her from his embrace, and muttered that she should carry on with her shopping before the store closed.

And now he's here, rapidly pacing the small space in front of the fitting booths and playing a word game in his head to try and get his blood flowing elsewhere.

The curtain to the fitting booth slides open again and this time Ochaco emerges in a dress that covers her up properly. So properly that Katsuki can't see any of the marks their little activity should have left on her body.

"This one works, I think," Ochaco says timidly. She's glowing a bright pink and doesn't meet his eyes.

Katsuki grunts in agreement. "Yeah, looks good. Go ahead and buy that. I'll wait for you outside."

He's begun to walk away when she calls out to him.

"Um, Katsuki, wait."

He stops in his tracks, but keeps his back to her.

"About… about earlier… I was thinking… maybe… maybe we shouldn't–"

"Don't worry about it anymore, Ochaco."

Katsuki talks over her loudly. He already knows what she's about to say. He gets it already, and he's berated himself enough. He doesn't need to hear it from her, too.

"No, um, what I'm saying is–"

"I know," he cuts her off again. "I know I went overboard."

"Katsuki, actually–"

"It's not going to happen again, so don't worry," he says with finality. This time, he plucks the courage to turn around and face her.

Ochaco opens her mouth, as though to keep on arguing, but after a beat, she closes it again and slowly nods instead. "Okay," she says simply. "If you say so."

There's emotion showing in her eyes that Katsuki can't put a name to, but the moment passes before he can figure it out.

Taking a deep breath, he strides steadily toward her. He thrusts his hands into his pockets to avoid touching her unnecessarily, then places a soft, chaste kiss on the top of her head.

A/N:

Hey, guys, leave me a nice little comment if you liked this chapter and tell me how you feel because it honestly makes my day and gets me motivated to keep writing. :)

1) "'Honored', my ass. Is this the Showa era?"
The Showa era refers to the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) from December 1926 until January 1989. It is still common to state the year as "XX era, year X". For example, they just changed their emperor in May, so we are currently in "Reiwa Era, Year 1". Katsuki asking if this is the Showa era is basically him saying that he finds the statement very old-fashioned.

2) "They're on one of their post-work dates, having dinner and drinks at an izakaya near her office"
An izakaya is like an informal pub, popular for after-work drinking.

3) "All my clothes are from Shinamura!"
The store name is a parody of Shimamura, an actual clothing store line in Japan. It's popular for being cheap, but not necessarily in a good way. Reputation aside, though, I hear the clothes here are pretty good quality. A friend gave me a top from here and I don't see anything wrong with it! I feel like it would be very in character for Ochaco to shop here since brand name wouldn't matter to her as much as the cost.

4) Katsuki's parents working in fashion
This was mentioned in an omake. His parents met at work, and it was some kind of fashion-related job.

5) "He had made her a promise and he'd rather swallow a thousand needles than break it now."
This is a reference to yubikiri, or pinky swearing, which in Japan is sealed with a vow that the person who lies has to swallow a thousand needles. "Finger cut-off, ten thousand fist-punchings, whoever lies has to swallow thousand needles." It's morbid, I know, but so are Western nursery rhymes if you think about it.